Chennai, Mar 13 (IANS): Senior Congress leader and former Chief Minister of Puducherry, V. Narayanasamy, has opted out of his constituency in Nellithope, which he had represented after winning a by-election in 2016.

Narayanasamy has been replaced by V. Karthikeyan of the DMK, which is an ally of the Congress in Puducherry and Tamil Nadu. Karthikeyan is the Chairman of a rural women's college in Puducherry.

"Yes, I have opted out of Nellithope and the Congress list of candidates will be announced by Sunday evening. Please let us wait till the list comes out," Narayanasamy told IANS.

The DMK-Congress alliance is an underdog in Puducherry with several surveys and opinion polls giving a huge mandate to the AIADMK-BJP combine.

However, Congress leaders have put up a brave face and Narayanasamy said, "The Congress-DMK combine is very powerful and we will be forming the next government. The BJP will not survive in this state by using divisive politics. The Congress-DMK combine has the upper hand as the people are with us."

With the 30-member Puducherry Assembly going to the polls on April 6, both the AIADMK front and the DMK front are in collision course raising allegations and counter allegations.

BJP's Puducherry unit president V. Saminathan told IANS, "We are not concerned whether Narayanasamy is contesting. He has run away from Nellithope as he knows that he will not win or may even loose the deposit money in that seat."

He also said that the BJP-AIADMK combine will sweep the polls and form the next government in Puducherry.